The Orange County district attorney's office has rejected a criminal case against the owner of a party bus that was transporting Corona del Mar High School students when one fell from the moving vehicle onto the 73 toll road.

Dr. Jenni Martin looked at her computer screen and pointed to the videotaped golfer as he hit a ball.
"That guy is a good golfer," Martin said as she folded her arms. "But he's losing power. I have to get him to stretch his pecs."
It's that type of...

On the evening of July 14, a woman approached the podium inside Costa Mesa City Hall to inform the powers that be that her dog died.
She blamed Daisy's death on the car dealership behind her house.
Chau Vuong became visibly upset in telling the...

Ahoy! Boater's licensing is official in California!
Gov. Jerry Brown made it official Sept. 18 by signing SB 941 (Monning) into law. The new law requires almost every recreational boater to have a state-issued vessel operator card in a phased-in program...

A group of Newport Beach residents who were stranded for two days in hurricane-torn Pedregal, Mexico, arrived home safely late Tuesday.
Jeff Reed, a 29-year-old groom-to-be, hitched a ride on a military plane to Tijuana on Tuesday evening with 15...

Four Newport Beach men who took a harrowing bus trip out of hurricane-stricken Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, are back home after 40 hours of travel.
John Lenell said he and his 19-year-old son Kevin and their fishing buddies David and Jack Ewles were promised a 20-hour ride to Tijuana when they boarded a bus in La Paz at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
After enduring two days of traversing flooded rivers, eroded roads and countless potholes, they crossed the border at about 7 a.m. Friday and arrived in Newport Beach by 9:...

Spencer Keith used to be a serious rock climber. With no rock climbing team at Corona del Mar High, Keith ran.
Three years ago, Keith joined the boys' cross-country and track and field teams at school. During the first two seasons, he still found time for his first passion. Coach Bill Sumner caught wind of the rock climbing. In the past, Sumner, in his 31st year at CdM, has had runners rock climb recreationally.
Sumner, who is 66, has seen a lot during his life. Not much fazes him. When Sumner saw...

John Wayne Airport practiced its response to a major emergency Friday.
Half a dozen county agencies plus hospitals, Delta Air Lines, the American Red Cross and other emergency personnel took part in the drill from 9 a.m. to noon that simulated a crash with multiple casualties.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires the full-scale drill every three years, according to a news release from the airport.
"The purpose of the drill is to test and practice the operational capability of the airport's...

For the second time this month, the Orange County Model Engineers group has reported major vandalism at its ridable train setup in Costa Mesa's Fairview Park.
Six park tables at Goathill Junction, which is what the nearly 40-acre rail attraction is called, were vandalized between 4 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. Tuesday, said Costa Mesa police Lt. Greg Scott.
It appears that vandals may have jumped on the tables, Scott said.
Club spokesman Hank Castignetti said Wednesday that the vandals broke four...

Orange County crash-rescue firefighters responded to John Wayne Airport on Sunday night after a private airplane's landing gear malfunctioned on the runway.
The landing gear failed to deploy as the airplane touched down at about 9 p.m., said John Wayne Airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge.
The two people aboard the Beechcraft Duchess were not injured, but the main runway was closed for about 45 minutes, resulting in flight delays, Wedge said.
The Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting team removed the airplane...

Soon after Rob Espero was bitten hard by the volleyball bug, he gravitated toward the setter position because, he said, he liked the idea of running the show.
More than 30 years later, the Costa Mesa resident is still doing just that from behind a microphone, helping spread the gospel of the sport he loves one catch phrase at a time.
In his third decade as the public-address announcer for UC Irvine men's and women's volleyball, Espero has also performed those duties for many CIF Southern Section...

Residents are being silenced in Costa Mesa. People like James H. Bridges.
Bridges is a kind gentleman who regularly attends our City Council meetings. Because of hearing loss and other disabilities, he sits in the front row, and it is easy for me to see him from my seat on the dais.
He often shares with me the many concerns he has about the direction our city is taking and often writes opinion pieces for the local newspapers. He's the kind of engaged resident who makes for a healthy Costa Mesa, and I...